Jetbeam vs Fenix

[Phredd]

I've owned (and still own) a few Fenix flashlights (L1P, P1, P1D-CE, L0D-CE). I was recently tempted to try the Jetbeam C-LE. After waiting and waiting, I received the C-LE and I now have mixed feelings. It has the same [annoying] interface of the Fenix P1D-CE. It's also a twisty.

The advantage of the Jetbeam is the finish, which I think is beautiful:



The finish of the Fenix (P1 shown here) is high-gloss and looks more like enamel than anodized aluminum:



The big BIG disadvantage of the Jetbeam is that it required a good amount of prep before it was useable. The threads were very, very course and difficult to turn, especially with one hand. I had to clean them with the dremel wire brush, then with alcohol, then the brush, then alcohol, then lube. After some use, the threads are finally smooth -- but still not as smooth as the Fenix.

Maybe most people here have Dremels and are willing to put some time in to get a new flashlight to work, but I'll bet there are plenty of people in the real world who would expect a $35 flashlight to be high quality and useable from the box.

Phredd

 

[VidPro]

cool keep going, i am listening.

what about lenght?
ease of battery insertion?
slopyness of battery?
regulation?
beam quality?
spill type?
Spot distances?
all that other good stuff.

can you dissasemble it easily? cause fenixes are rather difficult in that respect.

say anything about the differances, and i will keep listening.

 

[ScooterBug]

i have both. i feel the Jet ZBeam LOOKS nicer but i like the Fenix better.

 

[PhantomPhoton]

Myself I haven't been impressed by either new offerings from Jetbeam or Fenix.
The Fenixes have a lousy reflectors but have a better UI (on the L1/2 CE)
The Jetbeam C-LE has a nice beam but bad UI, and some really really lousy ones being shipped to customers.
The Jetbeam MKIIx has a tacky UI but seem to be shipping with higher quality workmanship than the C-LEs

All in all I'm not buying either, instead I've decided that I will likey go with a Lumapower M3. Unless of course the Rexxlight or Amlite Neo T5 or Liteflux V3 show up in the next couple weeks and smoke the competition...
I'm waiting before I buy my next cree EDC, as I can't afford to buy them all.

 

[kitelights]

Let me get my flame retardant suit out, but I think that the new JetBeam is way underpriced. My personal belief is that the pricing for the Group Buy was the intended wholesale price, not retail, and that it ruined the intended market value of the light.

I hope that I'm wrong, which would mean that cutting edge drivers and LEDs, high quality mass produced lights with great warranties (10 yr - lifetime) will be available in the $25 - $35 price range on a regular basis.

I don't think that it's here yet, but b/c of the pricing "mistake" on the new JetBeam, plenty of people now think that lights that were in great demand at $60-70, are no longer worth their selling price and the manf and dealers should lower their prices to match competition.

Unless there is an exceptional markup (usually due to market demand), businesses just can't afford to do that, at least not and continue to stay in business.

I believe that this forum has a major impact on manf like Fenix and JetBeam. Getting the JetBeam out was damned if I do and damned if I don't. Members were going nuts over delays, some even to the extent of calling the manf a liar for his reasons for the delays. It seems that some major revisions were done when the finished product was not up to JetBeam standards.

I can only guess that this was a factor in the reported thread quality issue. Both of my lights work fine, but one benefited from a good cleaning. I didn't need to Dremel and or wire brush mine and I never thought about it. Thanks for the suggestion and the next time I clean them, I might give the inside threads a little extra touch up with a wire brush. So far I've found my best results were from wiping the threads clean with a cloth and then cleaning with DeOxit and then applying ProGold.

Did you not know what the interface was when you ordered the light or that it was a twisty? You seem to imply that you didn't know until you received the light after a long wait.

Bottom line is that I think we practically stole these lights and I just can't see complaining about them for what we paid. They're certainly not ARC quality and their durability is yet to be known, but I got a whole lot more for my money than I would have expected for the price. I don't expect to see many repeated offerings for a light with these features at these prices, but I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Newuser01]

Hi, kitelights. I hope that you are wrong too!!

I'm looking forward to buying more C-LE for that kind of prices.
Now lets get back on topic!

I have P1D-CD and C-LE. I don't have L#T series yet. Can't effort to get all the new lights, can I?
From my experience in using these lights, C-LE impress me more as follows.
Uses AA (cheap to run)
Very bright. (not as much as P1D-CE but still rulez!)
Throws so far (as much as 3AA Minimag)
long enough run time.
Easy to use UI. Easy enough. (on par with P1D-CE)
Better looking holster. (To me.)

Only 3 area that I think C-LE needs improvements are.
Better threads. Small spring in the tail (instead of a bump!!)
Ability to use 14450's.

I know, there are a lot of other issues but these are the most important to me.

Now go get more lights......!!
I need to save up for L#D series.

Cheers

 

[TCW 60]

For half the price of an P1 D CE the C-LE is a super light. The threads have cleaned properly. I think the O-ring is much to thick, so I can't use it with one hand (as the P1 D CE).

 

[Flight_Deck]

Every Fenix I've ever owned (about a dozen now... I've got it bad), has functioned perfectly. Fit, finish, and functionality are all perfect.

I've bought one Jetbeam, the CL-E, and it's such a disappointment that I've decided that it's the last Jetbeam I'll ever own. Not to mention poor customer service, SLOW response to emails (emillion's workbench), and significant delivery delays. To emillion's credit he did offer to replace my unit, but it's not worth the return postage to, more than likely, get another one with the same thread problem.

The threads on my Jetbeam CL-E are so bad that it practically binds EVERY time I activate it. When I open it up a little pile of former thread material, now reduced to metallic dust, tumbles out. Not cool!

Once is enough for me. I know some have had good luck with their CL-Es, but I'm not willing to take a chance every time I drop some coin for a new light.

For me it's Fenix - all the way. Jetbeam – never again.

 

[Phredd]

cool keep going, i am listening.

what about lenght?
ease of battery insertion?
slopyness of battery?
regulation?
beam quality?
spill type?
Spot distances?
all that other good stuff.

can you dissasemble it easily? cause fenixes are rather difficult in that respect.

say anything about the differances, and i will keep listening.

I can't make direct comparisons of beam quality, etc., because I don't have the Fenix L1D-CE, Fenix's AA Cree, but the C-LE beam is EXCELLENT! A nice bright spot with a very smooth spill -- probably attributed to the textured reflector. The battery was loose until I placed the tape donut (supplied) on the bottom of the battery tube.

I haven't tried to disassemble the head, but I believe others have. If I'm not confusing lights, they heated it with a hair dryer to loosen the loctite.

Phredd

 

[mchlwise]

Let me get my flame retardant suit out, but I think that the new JetBeam is way underpriced.

I agree with you.

This isn't at all to downplay the problems and disappointments that some have had. This light seems to have been "cursed" right from the beginning with all of the delays getting it out, and then all the quality issues when it came out. I understand how disappointing it must be to those who received lights with problems, and I certainly understand how if that was your only experience with JetBeam you would say "never again."

I've had nothing but good luck with JetBeam. I had 3 MkI's at one point, and all were wonderful lights. The two C-LEs I got are great. I truly believe (also) that the C-LE was a bargain.

But...

I probably won't be buying another JetBeam. The U.I. on the MkIIx is just WAAAAYYYYY too over-engineered and complicated. And...

Fenix is coming on strong. I got a couple of L1DCEs, and just love them. I still believe (again, setting C-LE thread issues aside) that JetBeam has better machining, quality, and durability, but the Fenix lights are really evolving into some quality pieces. The anodize is much better than it used to be, machining is better, material used for the body walls is thicker... I could go on and on about their improvements.

When I was comparing an L1P to the JetBeam MkI, I could easily say the JetBeam was worth the double that I paid for it over the Fenix. Now, comparing the L1DCE to the MkIIx (which in fairness I don't own), I think that gap has narrowed significantly. I think the JetBeam is worth slightly more than a Fenix still, but not worth $20 more (which is what is costs).

Maybe the true comparison between them for me can be summed up with my history: I found out about Fenix, and bought an L1P. Liked it. JetBeam MkI came out, I heard good things, and bought it. Loved it. Thought I would never buy another Fenix. L1DCE came out. Sounded good so I bought it. LOVE IT. JetBeam MkII came out. Won't buy it, and think I probably won't buy another JetBeam again.

 

[mchlwise]

cool keep going, i am listening.

what about lenght?
ease of battery insertion?
slopyness of battery?
regulation?
beam quality?
spill type?
Spot distances?
all that other good stuff.

can you dissasemble it easily? cause fenixes are rather difficult in that respect.

say anything about the differances, and i will keep listening.

I posted a review/comparison here, which makes a lot of comparisons and might help:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=154154

 

[Phredd]

I posted a review/comparison here, which makes a lot of comparisons and might help:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=154154

I just read your review -- great job. One thing I found interesting is that the tape donut came attached to the head. I instinctively put mine on the bottom of the battery tube and it works well. It's also pretty much guaranteed not to fall off.

Phredd

 

[nerdgineer]

If it's still true, the advertised use of an AR coated SAPPHIRE window on the CLE was a pretty big deal for me. There are 2 kinds of sapphire windows: sapphire coated glass and solid sapphire (which if course cost more). I didn't do a detailed search, but most solid sapphire watch crystals I could find cost more than the entire CLE light.

I hope there is still a sapphire window and it wasn't a victim of last minute cost cutting...

 

[adirondackdestroyer]

The battery was loose until I placed the tape donut (supplied) on the bottom of the battery tube.


Phredd

You put the foam donut on the BOTTOM of the battery tube? I put mine on the head of the light, which is where I thought they were supposed to go.

Anyways back on topic... I think that Fenix is right now ahead of the pack. I own a C-LE and while I like it a good deal it did have a few problems when first received. The threads being the main one. I do LOVE the beam quality, but it is no where near as bright as an L1DCE.
The only place that Jetbeam wins is in the finish department. The HA on the Jetbeam is FLAWLESS! Fenix can't even compare. But other than that Fenix wins hands down.

 

[VidPro]

I posted a review/comparison here, which makes a lot of comparisons and might help:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=154154

thanks , i am trying to follow the Cheapskate shootout for the cree AA things. gonna get me ONE.